Within the scope of the Joint Project “Reinforcing Judicial Expertise on Freedom of Expression and the Media in South-East Europe (JUFREX),” co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe, a training on defamation and good administration of justice for judges was co-organised in cooperation with the Academy of Justice on 4-5 September 2018, in Suhareka, Kosovo*.

This two-day training targeted newly appointed judges who will soon start working in the justice system. About 50 participants had an opportunity to learn more on Freedom of Expression categories, with special emphasis on defamation and good administration of justice.

During the first day, judges had the opportunity to learn about the three-step test that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) applies in cases of defamation, public interest in relation with defamation, chilling effect, rights and responsibilities of journalists, etc.

On the second day of the training judges learned the importance of good administration of justice and how it is regulated according to the standards of the ECHR. During this training session, journalists' reports on judicial proceedings, the freedom of expression of judges, prosecutors and lawyers, the presumption of innocence, etc., were discussed.

Concrete examples from ECtHR jurisprudence were presented by local and international experts. There was lively discussion amongst judges throughout the training. Active participation of judges was observed especially during working groups and during discussions on concrete cases. Comments and discussions were then channeled into how to apply the ECtHR's standard in domestic cases.

The training was entirely based on the training handbook prepared by the JUFREX project.

The views expressed therein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions to status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.